JKUAT student murder: father speaks

Mzee Elijah Mwangi, the father of First Year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Tabitha Muthoni, who was killed by robbers outside the institution’s compound, has revealed that JKUAT’s administration hadn’t informed him of his daughter’s death until the following day, when he personally went to the school.

Mr  Mwangi, 71, said JKUAT administration had – all through – told him that his daughter, 19, was in the hospital, while in reality, she had already died.

“On February 7, a lecturer at JKUAT called and asked me if I knew a young woman whose name is Tabitha Muthoni, and I answered on the affirmative.

He, thereafter, told me: ‘We are very sorry Baba Tabitha, your daughter, who was in the company of her friend, while heading to the hostels from the university, was stabbed by thugs; and she has been rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital’,” said Mr Mwangi.

He collapsed from shock, upon reaching JKUAT’s main gate the following day, when he found students at the institution demonstrating over his daughter’s death, yet he was unaware that Ms Muthoni was already dead.

“I was shocked to discover that the person, who the students were protesting over her killing, was my daughter. All that while, the university had kept me in the dark.

JKUAT had, all through, made me think that that she was hospitalised at the Kenyatta National Hospital,” said Mr Mwangi.

“Upon regaining consciousness, I couldn’t help but let tears roll down my cheeks,” added the distressed old man.

Mr Mwangi would, thereafter, proceed to Kenyatta Funeral Home, where he – indeed – confirmed that his daughter was “no more”.

“When I saw my daughter’s motionless body, I couldn’t believe that she was the one, whom I had just spoken to a few hours earlier. I broke down – uncontrollably.

In my entire life, I had never allocated money to buy a suit [for myself] – simply because I was plunging all the money I had into my daughter’s education. I, honestly, do not know what my family and I would do [now that she is gone],” said Mr Mwangi.